302 Fifth Avenue
Designed in 1915 by brothers George and Edward Blum, 302 Fifth Avenue follows the type of office building established by Robert Maynicke and similar architects in the Ladies’ Mile to the south. The Blum Brothers were renowned for the quality and originality of their designs, which featured mosaic-like treatments of walls, sinuous ironwork and elegant… Continue reading
286-288 Fifth Avenue
Built in 1911, 286-288 Fifth Avenue was designed by James B. Baker, also responsible for the Presbyterian Building at 156 Fifth Avenue and the magnificent New York City Chamber of Commerce. Despite a ludicrous travertine insertion between the two lowermost floors, 286-288 Fifth Avenue retains much its highly sculptural ornamental detailing.
277 Fifth Avenue
A charming example of Beaux Arts commercial architecture, 277 Fifth Avenue is clad in gleaming limestone and terra cotta. It was the New York location of Kate Reily, a noted British dressmaker who also had a US location in Chicago. Her designs included such creations as “white silk dresses edged with otter fur” worn with “mouse-colored… Continue reading
260 Fifth Avenue
Built in 1900 as an office building, 260 Fifth Avenue is now a co-op apartment house. Handsome window sills and double entrances dignify the façade. The uppermost floors appear to have been a later addition. The building is not part of the Madison Square North Historic District, although 261 Fifth Avenue, directly opposite, is.
244 Fifth Avenue
A narrow limestone-faced shaft, 244 Fifth Avenue is typical of architect Robert Maynicke’s work and, like 236-238 Fifth, is similar to the early skyscrapers that line the Ladies’ Mile south of 23rd Street.